My sister QUESTION from A. Basto October 21, 2001 Dear Bro. Ignatius,
Firstly, I want to congratulate you for this wonderful website. Since I first came across the Legion of St. Michael's Question and Awnser Forum I have greatly enhanced my understanding of our Catholic Faith and I visit this website every day or so to search for new Q&A; posts.
Right now, when I entred my sister's bedroom to use the computer (and check for the awnser I was waiting from Mr. Slavek of the Liturgical Law Forum), I noticed a Reiki booklet on my sister's bed. It consists of some eighty pages with texts of the Reiki teaching and drawings with Reiki instructions. I am very worried with all that because I feel that Reiki is incompatible with the True Religion the Church teaches us.
I am even more worried because in the past, my sister (she is 30 and I am 20 years old) has been in contact with reincarnation believers belonging Alan Kardeck's spiritism cults.
Nevertheless, when asked about her religion, she says that she is Catholic, and indeed she goes to Mass every sunday (I now go with my father to the 10:00 AM, one hour and twenty five minutes long Solemn Mass at the Saint Benedict Abbey, with gregorian chant, reverence, respect, etc; she prefers the 5:00 PM, half-an-hour long charismatic renewal Mass in our parish, with liturgical dancing, abuses in the celebration of the Roman Rite, people saying the doxology with the priest, etc. - But at least it is a Catholic Church Mass, official, recognised).
She is a member and a kind of a leader of a movement for the catholic youth maintained by a parish near our home (the movement is called Young People's Encounter with Christ). For me, that makes things even worse, because, in that movement, she has a teaching role. And she is not suited for that role.
The movement itself has many problems. About one year ago, I went to some meetings of that group and I realised that they teach things there which have no bearing in the Catholic Faith. (once, a cathecism teacher who teaches those who are to receive confirmation, during an adress to the movement members, compared Churches to airline companies, as a way to teach that all churches are equal. She said, the Catholic Church is my airline company, I am very happy with it. Other people have other airline companies. The important is to follow the rules of your company. We are all flying to the same sky (heaven - the portuguese language is my mother tonge. In it, sky and heaven are the same word.)
My parents, who are both catholic and are married to each other (which is a blessing these days), have always respected her religious freedom, since her teenagehood. Now, she is a grown woman, who could be living in her own appartment. She is old enough to be married with children. But she is single yet. And, since in the great Brazilian cities such as ours it is common for people to go to University and to work in the same city where the family lives, she is still living in our house). Nevertheless, my father will never bother to intervene in her religious life.
Given all that, my sister's involvement with Reiki is not surprising at all. Nevertheless, I feel that this time she fails to underestand that Reiki and our Faith are incompatible, and that she could live Reiki if she was properly instructed about the Faith. After all, it was the Tu es Petrus doctrine that made her relinquish her reincarnation beliefs in the past. But I don't know how to approach that subject with her. What should I do to make her abandon this Reiki heresy?
ANSWER by John-Paul Ignatius, OLSM on February 1, 2002 Dear Mr. Basto:
Thanks for your support of our Q&A; Forums. We are pleased that you find them helpful.
As for your sister, you can do nothing to make her abandon Reiki. No one can make anyone do anything.
Give her the facts. (I have written ion this several times in these Q&As; and have given references to articles on this subject.)
Then prayer for her and let the Holy Spirit work.
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